One of the biggest challenges for small-medium sized job shops is finding the perfect balance of maximizing machine time efficiency without sacrificing quality, so when Mike Mills of Mills Machining, LLC in Grants Pass, Oregon called us up for a change in his machining, Sumitomo engineers and sales support were happy to listen to his needs and requirements, and set him up with sample drills for testing.

The Task:
Mike’s job at the time required 1,000 parts to complete, and each part took around 2 minutes each, so Mike was hesitant yet optimistic that Sumitomo drills could improve his machining time. After a few initial calls and emails between Mike and representative, Kip Paul, it was determined the right drill for the job was Sumitomo’s MDW-XHG Series and Pilot Drill: MDW-PHT. Next, Mike received instructions of recommended cutting parameters for the part material, 303 Stainless Steel, from our engineering team member George Schendel. The results from Sumitomo’s MDW-XHG Deep Hole Drill significantly lowered Mike’s machining time, from 2 minutes all the way down to 6 seconds per piece.

“I’ve been a machinist 15 years…” Mike said, “…and have seen a lot of cool stuff over the years, but that honestly probably tops it being that the drill was so small saved me 2,800 minutes on the job. It’s amazing what the tools will do when you listen to the people that have tested them out. There’s so many machinists I know that won’t try new things or do it exactly how you guys tell them too then blame the tool when it doesn’t work. Drill did over 1,400 parts, still looks brand new. “

The Takeaway:
Mike is a wonderful example of why you should never be afraid to try out new products or processes as technology changes and advances. With the combination of our high performance cutting tools and support from engineers and representatives, Sumitomo has the right solutions for all manufacturing challenges. Contact a local Sumitomo sales representative today and the team will be glad to deliver answers in no time.